The Oracle: Where have you worked in the past, and what positions have you held?

James Lubbe: I’ve been around the peninsula. I was first in the Jefferson school district, then in SF Unified, then San Mateo-Foster City, and most recently Santa Clara Unified. I taught as an elementary school PE teacher, I’ve been an elementary school advisor, I taught in math and PE in middle school and I’ve been Dean of Students at a middle school. This is my first time at a high school, but I’ve always wanted to work with this age group.

TO: What drew you to Gunn?

JL: I know Palo Alto schools have a fine reputation, and Gunn has a reputation of being very academic, and those are my interests. Being Dean of Students interests me as well.

TO: What are your responsibilities as Dean of Students?

JL: I work with students on behavior, but hopefully there won’t be too much of that. I’ll be tracking students’ attendance, working with the CAHSEE and STAR tests, and I’ll be working with different groups on campus like the Drug and Alcohol Committee and College Pathways. Unlike being the Dean of Students at the middle school [I previously worked at], I’ll get to do more hands-on work with students, and I’m looking forward to that.

TO: I’ve heard from Mr. Jacoubowsky that you were a track star in high school. Tell me about that.

JL: Well, I’ve played sports since I was young. I played baseball and basketball, and in high school I decided to focus on track and football. I used to run the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter, and I got a scholarship to UC Riverside for track.

TO: Do you continue to run nowadays?

JL: I started training again this year and doing my track workouts again. I had a vision of running in some master meets but it didn’t work out, so maybe I’ll get there at some point.

TO: Besides running, do you have any other hobbies?

JL: I love to cook and try new recipes, and I also like to spend time with my family. I have a wife and three kids.

TO: Is there anything else you’d like the students to know?

JL: I’m really looking forward to getting to know the students, parents, staff and entire Gunn community. I look forward to seeing everyone at events, and if they have a chance to say “hi” they should come and introduce themselves.